Ben Simmons recorded his first triple-double for the Brooklyn Nets regardless of the group falling to the San Antonio Spurs on the highway on Wednesday 106-98 (all instances AEDT).
Simmons completed with a particularly well-rounded line with 10 factors, 10 rebounds and 11 assists to go together with 4 steals and two blocks in 34 minutes – certainly one of three Nets gamers to complete with a constructive plus-minus – taking pictures 4-of-10 from the sector and 2-of-2 from the free throw lime.
It additionally marked the Aussie’s first triple-double because the 2nd of June 2021 whereas a member of the Philadelphia 76ers and moved him into equal twelfth all-time in NBA historical past.
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The Nets performed with out each Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving — although it was a brief stint with out Simmons that did them in as they misplaced to the woebegone Spurs earlier than a crowd of 13,532 at AT&T Heart.
Keldon Johnson, who poured in a game-high 36 factors, lit up the Nets (27-16), who’re 0-3 since Durant went down with a sprained proper MCL on Jan. 8. Irving was dominated out shortly earlier than tip-off with a sore proper calf.
That left Simmons because the final man standing from their All-Star Huge 3. A 3rd-quarter dry spell throughout which Simmons was on the bench with foul bother proved an excessive amount of to deal with.
T.J. Warren scored 19 factors off the bench to steer the Nets. Seth Curry began instead of Irving and scored a modest 16 factors, with Nic Claxton and Cam Thomas every a degree behind.
However when Simmons picked up his fourth foul with the rating knotted at 58-all with 7:47 left within the third, the Spurs promptly went on a 6-0 run.
He didn’t return for the remainder of the interval because the run reached 18-10. The Nets trailed 76-68 getting into the fourth quarter, and so they by no means acquired nearer than 4 the remainder of the night time.
That towards sorry San Antonio (14-31), which has put up as a lot defensive resistance this season as moist tissue — one-ply. It was a horrible strategy to tip off a five-game highway swing as might be imagined.
Whereas Durant isn’t anticipated to even be re-evaluated till early subsequent week, the Nets count on to have Irving again for his or her sport Friday at Phoenix.
“He simply reported a bit of tightness. So basically simply day-to-day. We’ll get some therapy, test on it (Thursday) and hopefully that is quick time period,” Nets coach Jacque Vaughn mentioned of Irving, who didn’t have an MRI examination and ought to be able to face the Suns. “Yeah, hope so. That’s undoubtedly the hope, that after a day, get some therapy, hopefully be able to go towards Phoenix, yeah.”
After the Nets acquired on the board first on a Simmons hook, they allowed 10 unanswered factors, capped by a Jeremy Cochan three-point play. They trailed 27-15 after a wretched first quarter.
The Nets confronted 4 completely different 14-point deficits, the final after a working layup by Tre Jones made it 31-17 Spurs with 9:56 left within the half.
The Nets then briefly settled in and at last acquired their offence in gear towards one of many league’s worst defensive groups. They reeled off 10 unanswered factors led by their bench, the mid-range sport of Warren and tempo of Edmond Sumner. Warren capped the spurt with a 16-foot pull-up off a Simmons help, pulling the Nets inside 31-27.
The deficit was nonetheless 42-38 after a Jeremy Sochan free throw. He had been fouled by Markieff Morris, from whom he needed to be separated moments earlier. However the Nets mounted an 11-2 run to surge forward.
Thomas’ driving finger roll put them up 49-44 with 2:55 left within the half, and the rating was knotted 51-51 headed into the locker room.
It was nonetheless tied, at 58-58, when Simmons went to the bench along with his fourth foul. That’s when the Spurs scored six unanswered factors and the Nets by no means acquired nearer than 82-78, on a Curry 3-pointer, the remainder of the night.
-This text as first revealed in The New York Put up and reproduced with permission
Initially revealed as Ben’s first triple-double in TWO years strikes him up report books in Nets loss
